Doctor Sent To Prison For Phony Opioid Prescriptions

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A prominent radiologist in western New York is going to prison for two years for writing hundreds of illegal prescriptions for opioid drugs.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo sentenced Dr. Albert Cowie to two years in prison on Thursday.

Cowie is a recovering drug addict who apologized in court to his family, patients and colleagues, and told the judge he had been clean for three years.

Prosecutors say that between 2010 and 2014, Cowie wrote more than 200 illegal prescriptions for oxycodone, Percocet and hydrocodone. Prosecutors say Cowie used most of the narcotics to feed his own addiction.